That's my dad in
the Long Boots. It's also him pictured as Peanuts The Clown with me and
mum as the front and back end of Dandy the Pantomime Horse. The small
picture of him is from the programme of 'Starlight Rendezvous' - one of
the seaside variety shows he produced and appeared in during the 1950s.
And top and bottom are faded images of mum and dad from their seaside
Concert Party days in the 1930s. In
later life he brought a Punch & Judy set from a retiring showman in
Bournemouth. He never managed to master the art so he let me try. And
- aged fourteen - that's how I got started.

This is
Mary with some of her puppets. She is the niece of famous puppeteer John
Wright who created
London's Little Angel Theatre "the home of British puppetry".
Mary's own work has been exhibited worldwide and for many years she ran
a company making puppets for TV.

The
several stages of a Punch and Judy man. It's the same Mr. Punch puppet
in each picture . He hasn't aged - unlike his Prof.

This
is Katey (with us in the background) and her show. She took her grandad's
clown name and became 'Prof. Peanuts'.

And
finally this is Katey's daughter who adores Mr. Punch and got her own
toy puppet theatre for her 3rd birthday.

My
dad may not have become a Prof himself - but he certainly left a legacy
of Profs.